Bamboo Charcoal - An Opportunity for Livelihood Needs

Bamboo charcoal is a kind of environmentally functional material having properties beneficial to environment. Charcoal made from bamboo has good properties, similar to wood and other ligno - cellulosic material in terms of high carbon content and calorific value. Due to the special microstructures, bamboo possessed extreme absorbing and other special characters after carbonization. It was the fuel of choice of the people in early nineteenth century for its use in iron making and smelting. Charcoal is the solid residue produced when bamboo is burned or carbonized in a confined space with limited air supply. The temperature of pyrolysis ranges from around 3500 C to 7000C and the products are vapours, char and bio - oil which can further decompose into tar material. In this study, review of related literature is carried out to assess the suitable method of bamboo charcoal production, its application and how the utilization of forest resources such as bamboo, could help in improving the livelihoods of rural communities.